The purpose of this study is to investigate thought processes and neural mechanisms that may contribute to the development of habitual behaviors. The investigators hypothesize that patients with AN will perform differently than people without eating disorders on a series of neuropsychological tasks and will show different neural activation patterns in functional neuroimaging scans.

Patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) have extreme difficulty changing their eating behavior, even when they express desire for change. These behaviors seem to override all other potential responses, and can appear perseverative, or habitual. The purpose of this study is to investigate thought processes and neural mechanisms that may contribute to the development of habitual behaviors. The investigators hypothesize that patients with AN will perform differently than people without eating disorders on a series of neuropsychological tasks and will show different neural activation patterns in functional neuroimaging scans.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

16 Years to 45 Years

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Sampling Method:

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with Anorexia Nervosa or Healthy Volunteers

Criteria

Inclusion:

DSM-IV-TR™ diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (restricting or binge-purge subtype), current or prior;

Age 16-45;

Inpatient on GCRU

Medically stable.

Exclusion:

Any other current major Axis I disorder (including current bulimia nervosa), except major depression;

History of concussion, seizure disorder, or other neurological illness;

For patients, current psychotropic medications (antidepressants for 2 week (prozac and antipsychotics for 4 weeks)

For patients, any other current Axis I diagnosis

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00325520